If they were dead puppy parts, or parts from homosexual babies, or babies that self-identified as adults, it’d be a different story. Meaning, it would be a story. But as it is, the fact that these fetuses don’t look like puppies, and their sexual orientation cannot yet be determined, and their sexual-identity cannot yet be expressed, the most viral, re-tweeted, utterly disturbing national issue of the day went largely uncovered by all the major television and radio networks....

Shame on them.

I'm at a loss for what to say on the subject of how America would react to a hidden-camera discussion of using tissue from "homosexual babies" or "babies that self-identified as adults." But, um, dead puppy parts? Would the use of dead canine tissue for medical research be a huge media scandal?

In early July, Robyn Zwolinski and her husband, Gene, decided it was time to put down their 13-year-old West Highland terrier, Blaire. The past couple years had been hard for Blaire: she had lost her sight and had begun to develop cognitive canine dysfunction -- a dog’s version of dementia.

The Zwolinskis contacted their vet, Vern Otte of State Line Animal Hospital in Leawood, Kansas, a suburb of Kansas City. Otte had seen them through the euthanization of several pets, and Robyn said they trusted him implicitly. Before coming into the hospital for the procedure, Otte called to ask Robyn a question that took her by surprise.

Otte wanted to know if the Zwolinskis would consent to donating Blaire’s pancreas.

“You know, for a second I remember just kind of catching my breath,” Robyn said. “And then my senses clicked in, and I said, ‘Well, of course.’ …. We’re all organ donors as adults in our household, but, gosh, I never thought about my pet.”

... Since the network began accepting donations in January 2013, Otte hasn’t had a single pet owner tell him no. This has led to between 30 and 35 donations for the network....

Here's a page asking pet owners to donate tissue from euthanized dogs so that a cure can be found for canine degenerative myelopathy:

When an owner decides to have their dog euthanized, we would like to have the opportunity to further study the dog’s tissues. Tissues obtained at any stage in the disease process will contribute to our research. We also need tissues from older unaffected dogs of these same breeds so that we can determine which tissue changes are specific to DM.

Interesting, the Humane Society doesn't object to the use of euthanized pet cats for dissection, although it does have guidelines for the practice (consent by the owner, no exchange of money, and so on).

Ah, but what about more sinister uses of pet tissue? Surely that would be a national scandal, right?